Living by Rule (5)

The three following counsels should be your guide, and nothing should be allowed to separate you from them: namely, forbearance, humility, and the love of God in your heart.

                                                            - The Rule of Comghall

Practicing neighbor-love
At the heart of monastic life in those lands impacted by the Celtic Revival (ca 430-800 AD) was the rigorous practice of spiritual disciplines. Those disciplines – prayer, the Word of God, fasting, singing, solitude, and so forth – were meant to keep men in constant communion with God, where they could increase in love for Him, and He could fit them to love their neighbors as themselves.

As we see in the above excerpt from The Rule of Comghall, love for God and love for neighbor were to be developed in equal measure among the members of a monastic community. Without love for God, love for neighbors would be difficult to sustain. Without love for neighbors, love for God was merely self-righteousness, and of no benefit to anyone.

Loving our neighbors as a reflection of our love for God must be learned. We do not naturally love our neighbors as we love ourselves, much less as Christ loved us. Rather, our natural (sinful) inclination is to love and look out for ourselves and to use our neighbors toward that end. If we are to live other than in this way, we must learn a better path.

The writers of monastic rules were not content to leave this chance or “nature.” In consulting the Scriptures and the lives of their forebears in the faith, Celtic leaders developed a clear sense of the kind of neighbor-love that must obtain if a community was to flourish as an outpost of the Kingdom of God. Further, they were simply following the example of Scripture in emphasizing the need to pay attention to those practices which were of particular importance for their unique situation and needs.

So they did not leave these virtues to chance in their rules. Rather, they spelled out the most essential personal attributes which, in their minds, expressed love for neighbor in a Biblical and edifying manner. The attributes were to be acquired through spiritual disciplines, learned in everyday life, and practiced faithfully for the betterment of the community as a whole. And because Celtic Christian leaders incorporated these attributes into their monastic rules, they constitute a second category of disciplines provided to guide the lives of Celtic Christians in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Let’s have a look at some of the relational disciplines indicated in the monastic rules preserved in The Celtic Monk.

The life of a servant
These relational disciplines are scattered throughout the monastic rules extant from the period of the Celtic Revival. They seem to have been written down rather as they were thought of, more than according to any particular plan. No rule is without its fair share of concise instructions designed to guide and shape the interactions of community members with one another. And the attributes prescribed seem to be those most likely to be needed – and tested – within the context of a monastic community.

Taken together, these relational disciplines indicate that community members were to regard themselves as servants of others, first of all. This was in line with the example and teaching of our Lord Jesus (cf. Phil. 2.5-11; Jn. 13.1-15; Mk. 10.42-45). Here are few excerpts:

Let him satisfy the need of each infirm person, and let him assist everyone who is ill…Let him be the servant of everyone...Let him be the servant of all, humble and kind. (The Rule of Ailbe)

If you are a shepherd of monks, it is fitting that you be kind to them and cherish them. (The Rule of Comghall)

Show humility and joy towards friend and stranger alike, and homage, obedience, and fealty towards every person. (The Rule of Carthage)

When people visit the servants of God, let them make their own the best of what they see. (The Rule of Ailbe)

The orientation of monastic life, after devotion to God, was decidedly in the direction of devotion to others – denying oneself, taking up the burdens of others, and doing whatever was necessary, eagerly and with joy, to care for others in the way Christ cares for us. Such devotion can be difficult to sustain. Since the rules of monasteries were regularly read and re-read as part of the communal disciplines of the monks, the brethren would be reminded of these most essential practices and encouraged to review their own practice in the light of each day’s experiences.

The practice of servanthood
This basic orientation of servanthood was supported by various other practices which, because they are explicitly named in these Celtic Christian rules, would have been learned and practiced with diligence and care, reviewed as part of a regular discipline of self-watch, and improved under the careful guidance and oversight of trusted mentors and soul friends.

A servant of others had to be, first, humble, which is to say, realistic about himself as a representative of Christ and His Kingdom. Kingdom greatness comes through humble service, and loving service is only authentic when it issues from a heart which esteems others better than oneself.

Monks were urged to practice helpfulness: He should never refuse assistance to a person who calls with insistence for it (The Rule of Ailbe) Helpfulness would require that a monk practice generosity, not counting his possessions as his own, but as held in trust for the needs of others. He would also need to learn forbearance toward his brethren, not begrudging them whatever assistance was necessary in sharing the load of their burdens.

Monks must at all times practice honesty with one another. The must learn kindness in order to be loving in every situation, not grumbling or complaining, but helping, sharing, and bearing burdens in complete silence. When they did speak they must be careful to use their tongues in an edifying manner, guarding against all harsh or hurtful speech.

In brief, This is the path which leads to the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, the all powerful: Let all people love God in heart and deed. To love God with all your strength is not, as is obvious, a matter for sorrow. You are also to love your neighbor as you love yourself. (The Rule of Carthage)

These particular attributes of neighbor-love were perhaps emphasized because they were the ones most likely to be required in the close quarters and by the collaborative lifestyles of a monastic community. Other relational skills could easily be envisioned for our own day, and we must apply ourselves diligently toward mastering these, working out our salvation and bringing holiness to completion in fear and trembling before our God (Phil. 2.12; 2 Cor. 7.1).

T. M. Moore